Programming!!!
- Fall in love with it You just have to fall in love with programming. That’s the first step for me because the journey that lies ahead is not a totally easy one. Whatever you love,you persist in doing it no matter what troubles you face, so falling in love in will definitely make the journey simpler.
Just fall in love with it already
2. Have a clear path Software development is a very big field and you cannot do everything, you can have knowledge of most stuffs but you cannot be a master in everything. It never hurts to diversify. I didnt have a clear path when starting out,so I had knowledge of several languages but I couldn't use any to build world class stuffs. Pick a path be it Front-End Web, Back-End Web, Mobile App Dev, UI/UX and master it then begin to diversify.
3. Pick a learning method that suits you. People learn programming mostly by videos, books or attending training at various training centers. Find a mode that suits you and work with it. No method is better than the other. Personally I love videos (I read books or the docs after the videos though) but a good number of my friends love books, one of them in particular only reads the documentation of the language. You know your learning pattern more than any other person, so pick that which suits you and use. It wont hurt to mix a couple of them.
4. Get ready to be heartbroken This the best advise you can be given because it prepares you for life a software developer. The time would come when you would find nasty bugs.You would spend a lot of time trying to fix something very little (Ask any Java Developer who has spent 2 weeks looking for a semi-colon in their code). You would make silly mistakes, you would question yourself a lot, you may even have a crisis of confidence, but it’s your love for programming that would get you past this stage. Be happy even the best of the best go through this phase
When you encounter the bugs
5. Don’t get intimidated
This is very key step, don’t get carried away by the “bad guys” in the tech industry, truth is they started like you and you can also become as good as they are or even better than they are. Learn at your pace and you would soon be a boss.
6. Ask questions
Let me get practical with this point. A while back at work I was supposed to work on a project. To keep it short, I had questions when setting up on my system but I was ashamed because I had asked so many questions, in the end I wasted two days setting up the project. I was eventually moved to another project and a Senior Developer( A very senior developer in the office that I respect and know very well) also started asking the same questions I had when i was previously had and it took him far less to set up the project.
Key point don’t be afraid to ask questions, there are no stupid questions in Programming.
7. Walk with like minded people
Simply put walking with like minded people would help remain focused on your goal and they would also help you in your times of need. For inspiration, just look at the friendship between Prosper and Christian.
8. Have people you look up too
Having people you want to be like would also go a long way in your developer journey as it would ensure you always have a goal and you are aspiring to be better always.
Thanks to social media you dont even need to know them personally, and developers are always ready to help out one another
9. Forget about money, learn ,solve problems and build a portfolio
Is this one mad? But i want money
I know some people would kill me for this statement but I think its the truth. 70% of people who reach out to me that they want to learn programming just want to make money. Its important to make money,I agree but the fact remains that if you are a very good programmer money would chase you everywhere you go.
Once you have the skill the money would come, so just learn the skill
10. Practice
Finally and most importantly,
PRACTICE! PRACTICE!! PRACTICE!!!
Do you agree with me? Let me know in the comments section below. You can follow me on twitter(I swear, I’m not boring). Thanks
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